1. Field of the Invention
The field of the invention relates generally to a method and apparatus for controlling parameter values using a graphical user interface of a computer system and more particularly to a method and apparatus for enabling a user to quickly and easily control parameter values and receive feedback concerning the control.
2. Background
Graphical user interfaces are commonly used by computer systems to enable computer operators to simply and effectively control the computers in those systems. A computer operator typically will manipulate a variety of graphical objects within such interfaces such as: desktops, windows, cursors, folders, files, icons, buttons, menus, control panels and dialog boxes, to accomplish a variety of tasks on the system. Such graphical user interfaces can play an important role in simplifying computer tasks so that they may be more easily understood and accomplished even by unsophisticated users. Such graphical user interfaces may also provide improved control over the operation of the computer system, and enable a user to easily accomplish tasks that might be difficult to accomplish with other types of interfaces.
A typical graphical user interface provides a display in which windows may be used to organize and show application programs and documents, for example, on a CRT or other display device. Graphical objects that enable the user to accomplish the variety of tasks typically are also provided in the display. Generally a keyboard and a mouse, or similar pointing device, are provided with the computer system for selecting options and interacting with the objects in the graphical user interface. Typically the mouse will have one or more buttons each of which cause the computer to respond in a programmed manner. A user manipulates the cursor on the display by moving the mouse. The cursor may be represented on the display by a wide variety of images such as a vertical bar, an arrow, a hand, a pencil, a can of paint, an eraser or any other desired symbol. The keyboard typically has keys, possibly in foreign languages or symbol sets, for text entry purposes along with other keys which the operating system or application programs can program to respond in various fashions. To interact with objects in the graphical user interface, the user uses the input devices to activate and work with objects. For example, to activate a button, a user would move the mouse so that the cursor was over the button and then activate the appropriate mouse button.
The advantages of graphical user interfaces may enhance the ability of application programs to provide users with desired functions or operations. Application programs can include programs such as word processors, spreadsheets, World Wide Web browsers and other Internet related software, finance software, personal information managers, graphics modeling and animation programs, or any of a wide variety of other programs. Using graphics modeling and animation programs as an example, graphical user interfaces may enhance the users ability to create and manipulate the images or scenes and to manipulate objects being drawn, modeled or animated in an image or scene, for example.
During use of a computer system, a user may desire to control (e.g. set, adjust) some parameter related to a desired task or function or related to some aspect of the computer system. For example, a user may wish to adjust a computer's volume. Again, using a graphics application program as an example, a user may wish to change a parameter associated with an object in an image or scene. A cylinder, for example, may have a radius or a height that the user would like to modify. A cube may have a height, width and depth that need to be controlled.
While graphical user interfaces may provide mechanisms to control such variable parameters, the mechanism provided may not provide the desired combination of speed, ease of use, precision of control and feedback to the user. Additionally, the graphical interface may not arrange the mechanism for providing this control in an optimum or efficient manner, and it may not provide the user with desired flexibility in the manner of accomplishing the control. For example, if the control can be accomplished using a number of different techniques, different graphical objects that may be used to accomplish the different control techniques or to provide feedback concerning the control may be arranged in different areas of the screen. As another example, changing a parameter may require typing a numeric value using a keyboard, making it more difficult to quickly try a number of modifications to the parameter and see the effect of the modifications.
Accordingly, what is needed is an improved method and apparatus for controlling parameters, and in particular numeric parameters, in a graphical user interface. Such a method and apparatus may desirably enable the user to quickly and easily modify such parameters, while providing the user with desired control of the parameters and while providing the user with desired feedback concerning control of the parameters.